Camaná, Peru - Polarsteps

Camaná surprised me, I wasn't expecting a pretty town with everything I'm looking for, but here it is. Camaná, Peru: population: about 13,000. "La Villa Hermosa" or "The beautiful town," also "El valle más fértil de América" or "The most fertile valley in America". The history of Camaná, well, there's very little online. The Spanish founded the town in November 1539 with the name Villa Hermosa. Then in 1540, they moved on to the area of Arequipa, about 180 kilometers southeast. In September 1557, Camaná was founded a second time, this time with the name "Villa de San Miguel de Ribera." Camaná has a series of more than 10 beaches to its claim. So, my impressions: I like this little town, it has everything needed to live here. There are multiple banks and many cash machines, countless restaurants, and a couple of ice cream shops. I even found a couple of coffee shops but they're not all that good, one of the few negative points. The coast of Peru has no coffee culture, so it's just about impossible to get good coffee anywhere outside of Lima, along the coast. On the other side of the mountains in the Selva region is where you'll find good coffee. Anyway, Camaná has a few nice parks and beaches. The valley is very pretty and loaded with agriculture, especially rice. The only complaints I have are the same for all coastal towns - the dusty sandy salty air. Everything is coated with dust or sand and the salty air causes terrible corrosion. As much as I like coastal towns, I still think I'll be living in a mountain valley somewhere.